Tubular ribbed fabric.



W. E. SMITH.

TUBULAR RIBBED FABRIC. APPLICATION FILED SEPT.23,1909.

Patented Nov. 21, 1911.

WITNESS UNITED STATES AT N oFF cE.

WILLIAM E. smn, or New BRUNSWICK, NEW JERSEY, .assIe oR 'ro KILBOUBN I MANUFACTURING CORPORATION, on NEW. BRUNSWICK; EW JERSEY.

TUBULAB RIBBED Fannie.

Specification of Letters Patent. Application filed September 23,1909. Serial- No. 519,203.

Patented Nov. 21, 1911.

To all whom it concern:

Be it known that I, WILLIALLE: $i n'rn, citizen of the United States, residmg, at

New Brunswick, in the county of Middlesex and State of New J ersey',.have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Tubu-' cylinder needles, and to provide each of said tops or cufis with a welt (or welts) at one end which serves as a selvage andv at the other end a course of stitches the thread of, which is more loosely drawn than that of adjacent courses, forming what is termed the slack course or runnin -on course. These tops or ends are usually 't as acontinuous fabric or tube, a few courses being knit between the slack course of one top and the welt of the next adjacent course to per mit of severing the individual tops 0r cuffs and to provide courses to be raveled when the top is applied to a knitting machine. The several tops are separated at a point between the slack course of onetop and the selvage or welt of the next adjacent course, and theslack course of stitches is run on to the needles of a circular knitting machine, or upon the points of a transfer cup or ring and subsequently transferred to-the needles of the knitting machine, and the stitches beyond the slack course are raveled back to the slack course. The leg of the stocking is then knit directly on to the slack course of the ribbed top.

The operation of running on has been usually performed by hand but recently machines have been devised for mechanically placing the cufis or tops in such position that the stitches of the slack 'course' can be engaged by transfer levers which are made to enga e all or a portion of the stitches of the slac course and transfer them upon the These points of a transfer ring or cup. machines are provided with certain guiding and positioning devices which usually engage the depressions between the exterior sition the slack course of stitches with reribs or wales ofthe fabric. The continuous rib fabric has been fed to the transferring machine, expanded over a mandrel, and moved by the positioning devices to bring the slack course of a cult .or top into proper position, by the'engagement of such positioning devices with the selvage or weltof the precedingadjacent top. This necessitates the retraction of the positioning devices to permit the fabric to be severed'bee tween the slack course to be run on, and the selvage welt of the preceding top, and where the transferlevers are arrangedto engage ever stitch of the slack course, the posi-. tioning-devices must be withdrawn sufliciently to clear the slack course entirely, as the ositioning devices cover' the alternate stitc es of the slack course which are in line with the depressions between the exterior wales. The withdrawal of the positioning devices to ermit the web or fabric to be severed and to permit the transfer levers to engage the stitches of the slack course has 'a tendency to disarrange the slack course and release it from the positioning means so that some of the transfer levers are liableto miss their stitches, and roduce defective work in transferring the s ack course to the transfer ring.

According to this invention, a tubular rib and the slack course of stitches and between the selvage welt or welts of one ribbed top, and the slack course ofthe next adjacent top, an additional or special welt having features differentiating it from the ordinary or selvage welt, is knit for the sole purpose of serving, in conjunction with the positioning devices of the transferring machine, to pospect to the series of transfer levers. The web or fabric is severed between the selvage welt or welts, and the special welt, hence the positioning devices dovnot have to be withdrawn from engagement with the spe- 100 'cial welt to permit such severing of the web,

and it is preferred to employ a series of transfer levers corresponding to every alternate stitch of the slack course, so that they may pass between the positionin and engage the alternatestitches o the slack course while the fabric is still held by such ositioning devices. After the cuff or top istransferred to thetransfer ring or to the needles of a knitting machine the special fabric is knit with the usual selvage welt,

devices,

I positioning welt is raveled out together with 'of the desired length.

D represents the special welt, which as any courses intervening between it and the slack course and'hence does not appear in the completed hose.

This invention consists in providing such a cuff or ribbed top with a positioning welt of particular or special construction, to adapt it to more perfectly cooperate with the positioning devices, of the transferring machine in securing the results previously described.

In the drawing, Figure 1 represents diagrammatically a section of continuous tubular rib fabric comprising a series of rib tops embodying my invention. Figs. 2, 3 and 4 are diagrammatic views illustrating the manner of forming the special form of iug welt, indicated inFig. 1.

In the drawing A represents the tubular ribbed web or fabric, provided at proper intervals with a selvage welt B, and a slack course of stitchesC, arranged at suitable distances apart to form a ribbed top or cuff shown is knit between the selvage welt B and the slack course of the next top or cuff and at a suflicient distance from the selvage welt to permit the cuffs to be severed be tween the two welts B and D, as indicated by'the dotted line E, E. In some cases it is customary to lmit more thanone welt at the selvage end of the cuff or top, for the purpose of making a more ornamental effect, or to indicate the size of hose which is to be knitted thereon, and such an additional selvage welt is indicated in dotted lines at B, but such welts will always be located between the selvage' welt and the slack course of the same cuff or top and have nothing to do with the present invention.

In circular knitting any single course of stitches will have its beginning and end the width of a stitch apart. This does not show in the main body of a circular knit fabric as the courses of stitches are knit practically in a spiral manner, but in the case of a single course of stitches such as the slack course,'and in the case of a welt, the separation of the ends of the'course is apparent, and is termed a jog. In the drawing, Fig. 1, the jog in the slack course of stitches is indicated at c, the jog in the selvage welt is indicated at b, and .the jog in the special welt is indicated at d. It is important and desirable that the jog cm the slack course should be located at a distance laterally of positionwelt in order to make the special welt fit more tightly upon the mandrel of the transferring mechanism, and thus stretching open the stitches of the slack course more uniformly and holding the slack course more firmly against the thrust of the transfer levers. As this special welt is to be raveled, it can be knit considerably tighter than the .ordinary welt, which has to be elastic enough to. pass over the heel when the stocking is drawn on. This special welt D is preferably so made that it projects farther above the surface of the fabric than the ordinary selvage welt, thus giving a better hold for the positioning devices, and this welt D is shown as being made tighter than the selvage welt, to stretch the slack course more uniformly and to afford a better resistance to the transfer levers as they stretch out the web and apply the stitches to the points of the transfer ring. When the number of transfer levers is less than the number of stitches in the slack course the tighter special welt also serves to support more firmly the stitches not so engaged by the transfer levers, as the alternate stitches for example, so as to hold them-very accurately in position to engage the proper points of the transfer ring.

The manner of knitting the special welt D shown in Fig. 1 is illustrated in Figs. 2,

the dial needle and 2 represents the loop held by the cylinder needle. A thread 3 is fed to both cylinder and dial needles, but the dial needles F in taking this thread are not advanced far enough to carry their latches through the loops 1, and they therefore hold the loop 1 and the new loop 3 while the cylinder needles G knit as usual, a stitch 3 A second thread is then fed in the same manner to the needles F and G thus accumulating another loop 4 on the dial needles, the cylinder needles knitting a stitch 4., (see Fig. 3). The dial needles F then remain stationary-while the c linder needles knit one or more courses gas 5 and 6) when both needles resume rib nittin with the thread 7 In taking the thread 7, t e dial needles are projected far enough to carry their latches through the accumulated loops 1, 3 and 4, and said loops are cast off in making the stitch with thread 7.

I and is peculiarly well adapted toreceive the, positioning devicesof the transferring mav selvage welt.

'sitionin WhatI claim and desire to 1,009,4bo 7 T In this man n'er an extra bulky welt is; formed which roj ects farther from the .sur-

face of the fa ric thanAthe-ordinary welt chine,jand by increasing the tension on the thread, while knitting this welt or other wise,"it is made tighterthanthe-ordinary 'i'he ribbed sired length folded flat and rolled upon.

itself. into a roll of any desired diameter. It is obvious, however, that the ribbed tops or cufi's can be knit separately, or knit continu; ously and separatedfrom each other before. being: used, if found desirable.

A machine well ada ted-for transferring.

illustrated and described in the a plication. of E. E. Kilbourn, William E.

rial No. 474,953.

ters Patent is 1. As a new. article of manufacture, a

to one'end-"wlth a selvage portion, and ad-. jacent to the other end "with a' course of stitches to be transferred, and having a po-. welt, adjacent to the said course of. stitc es to be transferred on the side thereof from, which the fabric is to be ravtops herein described are pref-. erablymanufactured in a strip ofany dey mith' and; Isaac W. Kilbourn, filed Jan. 29, Se-

eledback, "the a positioning welt bein g knit with tighterfstitches than those of the adj acent course to cause itto fit tightly upon the mandrel. of the transferring machine 1 and afford a firm. support forthe course of stitches to be transferred,"during the transferring operation.

'2. As a new article of manufacture, a

ribbed top or cufi for use in connection with a transferring machine provided adjacent to one end with a'selvage portion, and ad jacent to the other end with .a course of stitches to be transferred, and having a po- '.sitioning welt, adjacent to the said courseof stitches. to be transferred on the side thereof" "from which the fabric is to be r'aveled back,

' said positioning welt p'rojecting; farther- [from the surface" of-theffabriethan the the herein described ribbed tops or cuifs is ordinary oi'lselva eweltgand having'its stitches drawn tig te'rgi than" those of adja-' I ring mac ine't facilitate the, engagement secure by .Let-' therewith of the positioning devices of, said machine, and to afford firm supportfor the stitches to be" transferred. during the transferring operation.

In testimony whereof-I afiix my in the presence of two witnesses.

7 WILLIAM E.

Witnesses: I Y

SMITH .1

J OHN Emoxson.

signature, 

